Balancing the risk of dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and the benefit of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids of the n-3 variety for French fish consumers in western coastal areas.

A study of 401 fish-eating adults living in a coastal region of France was undertaken to establish exposure to dioxins/polychlorinated biphenyls and the intake of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids of the n-3 variety. Fish consumption was estimated using food frequency diaries and the dioxin/polychlorinated biphenyl data collected by the French control authorities was used to calculate dietary exposure. The results showed that for a group of adult subjects selected because of their consumption of fish, 60% achieved the nutritional recommendation for long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and 79% were exposed to total dioxins below the toxicological threshold of 14 pg kg(-1) body weight week(-1). Nevertheless, only 41% of these subjects had an optimal balance between the risk and benefit of eating fish, because 19% were meeting the nutritional recommendation but exceeding the toxicological threshold, whereas 38% were exposed below the toxicological threshold but failed to reach the recommended intake of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Similar results were found regarding the balance between long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and polychlorinated biphenyls even if a toxicological threshold was not established for these compounds. The results show that meeting the nutritional requirements of 0.5 mg day(-1) of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids is compatible with respect to toxicological thresholds, while an intake higher than 1.5 g day(-1) is likely to lead to a dietary exposure above the provisional tolerable weekly intake for dioxins.

Iron stocks and risk of anemia in twins.

This study aims to compare the risk of anemia by iron deficiency in mothers and infants of twin and single pregnancy. It concerned 33 couples of twins and 31 control, all 97 being term newborns. At birth, ferritinemia is significantly lower in twins, and reticulocytes count is significantly higher; their mothers have a significantly lower hemoglobin level and higher reticulocytes percentage and count. At 3 and 6 months, hemoglobin level and mean corpuscular hemoglobin are significantly lower in twins, as at 6 months ferritinemia is significantly lower in twins. Iron stocks constituted in utero are significantly lower in twin pregnancy, and this study support the early preventive iron treatment in twins.